New Medications for Treatment of ADHD - Report Example

New Medications for Treatment of ADHD Researchers are constantly working to come up with medications that will help in treating the symptoms of ADHD. The side effects with stimulants and the fact that they are a controlled substance are some of the reasons why professionals and parents alike are pushing for new treatment. Stimulants are effective in about 70% of the cases in which they are used but are there medications that are new medications that are not stimulants so they do not carry the concern that they may fall into the wrong hands and be used improperly. Parents would also like freedom from the need for new monthly prescriptions to ease the added stress of filling prescriptions. Stimulants Stimulants have been the main treatment for ADHD for the past forty years. Methylphenidate and amphetamine are believed to enhance the neurotransmission of dopamine and norepinephrine. Stimulants work quickly and wear off quickly so they must be taken frequently. More recently long lasting stimulants are being used that can carry a child through the whole day in school. This removes the embarrassment that can go along with having to go to the nurses office at lunch for medication. Stimulants are a controlled substance but longitudinal research has shown that patients treated with stimulants are less likely to turn to illegal drugs than those not treated. While stimulant do slow the growth of children longitudinal studies routinely show that the children do reach their expected height; it just happens a bit later. Finally, the concern about stimulants causing tics is also being questioned. Recent studies have shown that is correlation that has not stood up to cause and effect studies. Finally, stimulants are significantly helpful for 60% to 80% of those who have an ADHD diagnosis is helpful as the side effects routinely mentioned so not seem to be of that great a concern (Faraone, Sergeant, Gillberg, & Biederman 2004). Norepinephrine Uptake Inhibitor The norepinephrne uptake inhibitor is one of two first-line alternatives to psychostimulant drugs for ADHD. That means that while there are drugs that are being used to treat co-morbid conditions this is the first one that actually has an effect on the symptoms of ADHD. This drug modulates the information flow in cortical and subcortical areas of the brain which are active in vigilance and cognition. This region particularly sustains and selects attention and working memory. Test results indicate that this drug has a significant ability to enhance cognition and enhance memory. It particularly works with the neocortical and hippocampal circuits of the brain. Given a choice a rat on this drug will spend more time exploring and interact with a new object than with a familiar object indicating potential for improving learning interest. The drug atomoxetine has also been compared to the stimulant methylphenidate on basal locomotor activity in animals. Atomexetine appears to have no effect on basal locomotor activity in the brain so the learning interest and increase in memory was not a result of locomotor activity. This drug is longer acting as is showing robust outcomes in the treatment of ADHD in humans. It is still in the trial stage but has recently been approved for marketing (Tzavara 2006). Other Drugs on the Horizon There are other non stimulant drugs that were designed for other uses that are being tried. Connexyn is looking for approval to use with ADHD. It is not habit forming and slow release. It appears to have some effect in controlling symptoms in children from six to seventeen. This selectively targets the A2 receptors in the prefrontal cortex. This is similar to the automexatine. A-s is where executive functioning tasks such as working memory, behavioral inhibition regulation and regulation of attention are managed (Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services (2007). One must mention that these drugs seem to have several side effects such as drossiness, drop in blood pressure, irritability, dry mouth, constipation, dizziness and sleep disturbances. So far several patients have chosen not to use these drugs due to the severity of the side effects side effects. A Look into the Future At this point in time, stimulants are still the drug of choice for treating the symptoms of ADHD. There are side effects, however, they seem to be minimal and are rarely a reason a parent stops their child from using the drug. In fact, the use of stimulants among adults and women is increasing quickly. The concern with this drug is that it can be addictive. It is not considered addictive in the small doses used in treating ADHD but it can easily be misused even by those for whom it has been prescribed. Because it is a controlled substance a new prescription must be written on a monthly basis taking added time for parent and physician. This drug also wears often fairly quickly so the student must go to the nurses office during the school day to take medication. This can have social repercussion and may even stop the student from taking the medication. Finally, there are numerous documented cases where the drug has been illegally sold for illegal recreational use which gets into increased crime and theft. The new drugs while they appear to be effective have more difficult side effects such as the dizziness, drop in blood pressure, diarrhea, dry mouth constipation and sleep problems. These are daily issues which make it hard to attend school or work. A higher number of patients choose to quit these drugs due to daily side effect than do those taking the stimulants. But we are talking about the future, five years from now, one would expect these drugs to be improved and therefore more widely accepted. This writer expects that in five years those with ADHD diagnosis’s will likely be taking a cocktail of these drugs including the stimulants and the non stimulants plus the drugs that are often taken for co-morbid disorders. It appears to this writer that the stimulants tend to work on impulsive behaviors and attention. The non-stimulants work on cognition and memory. They also claim some attention improvement. This would indicate that these drugs doe different things and work on different symptoms for the most part. That being the case why would not both be used together. In time it seems likely that will be tested. At this time, this writer is feeling some discomfort as it is this writers opinion that behavior learning is still the most important treatment. Hopefully, in five years, the drugs will be used in only the most severe cases or in the early years to facilitate the behavior learning of social skills and organizational skills. It is this writer’s opinion based on the learned processing model (Siegfried 2004) that those with ADHD can be taught how to problem- solve thereby retraining the brain function. It seems in the long run the learning and behavioral changes will serve the individual better than being tied to a medication to function. References Faraone, S.V., Sergeant, J., Gillberg,C. & Biederman, J. (2004). The World Wide Prevalence of ADHD: Is It and American Condition? World Psychiatry; 2: 1004-113. Product Update. (2007). Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental health Services; 45 (8); 12-13. Tzavara, E. T., Bymaster, F.P., Overshiner, C.D., David, R. J., Wolff, K.W., McKinzie, D.L., Witkin, J.,M. & Nomikos, G.G. (2006). Procholinergic and Momory Enhancing Properties of the Selective Norepinepnrine Uptake Inhibitor Atomexetine. Molecular Psychiatry 11, 187-195. Siegfried, S.L. (2004). Step Processing. Retrieved August 20, 2007 from www.pegservicrs.cjb.com Read More